Applications include refugia, sea grass and macroalgae bed systems, mangrove systems, and other methods of filtration employing substrate to facilitate natural reduction of organic and nitrogenous waste, and reef aquaria of all sizes (notably nano-reef systems)

Formulated by a marine scientist

Coral reefs may generally classified as Atolls or as Barrier and/or Fringing Reefs; in a sense, an atoll may be thought of as a barrier reef in the later stages of development, for it is the subsidence of the land mass around which fringing and barrier reefs form that leads to the open water inside an atoll. As the interior landmass sinks into the sea floor, an expanding area of water forms inside the reef, called a Lagoon. These areas are largely protected from wave and tidal energy by the ever-growing reef, and become a zone in which particulates settle out of the water column and relatively-delicate forms of marine life can exist and reproduce. Organisms found in lagoons are primarily seagrasses, macroalgae, disc anemones, colonial polyps, a wide variety of soft corals and large-polyp stony corals, and detritivores (filter- and deposit-feeding detritus consumers). Regardless, the lagoon is where the majority of sand is deposited, with particulate grading occurring throughout the depth of the substrate. Similarly, the lagoon is a deposit for particulate organic material, the remineralization of which (by microbes and detritivores) corresponds with the observed rapid growth of the organisms that have evolved to thrive in this habitat, and resulting in the depletion of nutrients from the overlying water column. Reef aquaria can benefit tremendously from the employment of just such a system, with lower observed amounts of particulate and dissolved organic material in the system being an end-result. By creating the proper environment in a vessel outside the main aquarium, a hobbyist can employ a sand bed of the proper composition to house the bacteria responsible for initial decomposition of organic material, and seagrasses and/or macroalgae to remove the resultant substances from the system altogether; the end result is often much-improved water quality. Such a vessel may also be used to house invertebrates commonly found in lagoons, creating a microcosm to observe and enjoy. Brightwell Aquatics KoraLagoon Substrāt is a blend of several grades of aragonite particles created specifically for the purpose of emulating a lagoon environment. It is ideally-suited to this purpose.